Foster wants more 'self-governance' Within the Team

A good team needs a well-rounded locker room, with a healthy mix of personalities.

Im a firm believer that a team should have a couple jerks, so long as the non-jerks are the stronger element and keep them in check. But an outspoken guy who calls a spade a spade and gets visibly upset when things go badly can be an important ingredient.

Arian Foster has similar feelings, and recently shared his thoughts on SiriusXM radio.

Per Joe Owens transcription, Foster hit on the big offseason theme of finishing and touched on the need for players to handle some things better internally:

I think we have to develop. We havent had a lot of time in the offseason to spend together as a team but I think the mentality of your team develops in the OTAs and in your training camps. I think the leaders of our team have to step up and demand that the little things dont go unnoticed, stay on top of each other, and we have to be self governed rather than having coaches yell at us all the time. Im not saying we havent been doing that but as a leader you have to start demanding high expectations and high praise at a high level. I think you have to and sometimes you have to be the bad guy and I think we need more bad guys on the team. We need people to step up and just take us to the next level, whoever it may be 

Ill lead if I need to lead and Ill follow when I need to follow but I think its a mentality that we have to finish. We were in a lot of games last year we didnt finish and I think that mentality is developed in training camp.

He and I are on the same page about bad guys, and by bad guys neither of us mean Pacman Jones. We mean irritable guys who do things right, cant stand watching people around them doing things wrong and are unafraid to let it be known when they see stuff they dont like.

Do the Texans have guys like that? Im not so sure. Their top guys -- Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub, Foster, DeMeco Ryans, Mario Williams -- either qualify as nice or quiet or both. They can lead effectively, but they are somewhat alike and they play for a coach in Gary Kubiak with the same low-key personality.

Brian Cushing might have the kind of qualities in question. But for as much as his overtrained-athlete-syndrome defense after his suspension for violating the leagues policy against performance enhancers hurt him with the public and media, its hard to imagine it didnt dent his credibility among teammates too.

So who do you see as the prime candidates to step up and be a bad guy who can help alter the teams culture?

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If anything, I'm just happy that he knows we're doing something wrong, and has a plan to fix it.

If anything, I'm just happy that he knows we're doing something wrong, and has a plan to fix it.

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Nice read. But I have to ask........by a player that has been "active" for essentially only ONE year? It speaks fairly poorly for the truly veteran "stars" on our team. "Lead by EXAMPLE" should be a given..........."Lead by COMMAND" is a characteristic shown within all successful teams.

In 10 years, I can only think of two or three players that qualified as "leaders". Payne, Walker and Glenn. Walker was more of a bad boy, big mouth type and I didn't care for him much towards the end. I think MW should carry that role today but he doesn't seem to interested in it. Maybe he would be a more vocal leader if the media hadn't beat on him so hard following the '06 draft.
AJ and Schaub seem to be content to lead by example, though AJ seems to be getting more vocal and showing more emotion as he's gotten older and wanting to see this team win some playoff games.

Nice read. But I have to ask........by a player that has been "active" for essentially only ONE year? It speaks fairly poorly for the truly veteran "stars" on our team. "Lead by EXAMPLE" should be a given..........."Lead by COMMAND" is a characteristic shown within all successful teams.

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There's a party atmosphere in the Texans lockerroom.

There are no true leaders in the lockerroom.

Fosters statements are just another sign of a disfunctional organization. It starts at the top with Billioaire BoBBY and his cash cow that are the Texans.

"This locker room would make such a great choir. We got guys that do what they are told by coaches but they don't address it when another guy isn't doing his job because this organization is so interested in keeping that clean cut image. What we need is a Ray Lewis kind of guy that comes in every day to be great and not just to make the team. A guy that works hard, shows his hardwork on the field and when the guy next to him isn't getting it done does everything in his power to make sure that issue gets addressed right there! All the good teams have that on their team. New England - Brady (Bruschi when he was playing too), Indy - Manning (ever see him when someone doesn't block or a receiver misses a catch. Better yet go on youtube and see how he handled Saturday complaining.) New Orleans - Brees, J. Vilma, Chargers - Rivers, Jets - the whole team.

Answer to that is to start opening the checkbook and get more vets in here.
Basing your entire team on draft picks is going to get you yes men more times than it is going to get you leaders.